Americans have treasured their national parks since 1872, when the United States government established Yellowstone, the first national park in the world. Today, national parks can be found in all corners of the country, allowing visitors to enjoy some of America's most spectacular places. Which parks do we love the most? Listed in alphabetical order, these 15 are some of our favorites.

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1. Acadia National Park, Maine
A mosaic of geological and ecological features, Acadia National Park is composed of ocean, mountains, forests, streams, ponds, wetlands, meadows, and beaches. This paradise of natural wonders rests mainly on Mount Desert Island, but also extends to the Schoodic Peninsula, Isle au Haut, and a dozen tiny islands. The park's dramatic geological extremes are the result of glacial activity and a melting process that shaped the area into islands, coves, and kettle ponds, forming a 10,000-year-old shoreline so "new" that finding sand is almost a rarity.

The plant and animal life in this 47,633-acre park is diverse and accessible. Anglers will find 28 species of fish lurking in the coves and streams, and bird watchers will be awed by more than 300 species of birds (including 23 species of warblers and that old icon--the bald eagle), which call this park home.

Acadia reflects all that is New England, with glimpses back to the days when wealthy New Englanders first began settling the region. There are winding carriage roads and quaint stone bridges ideal for hiking, biking, and breathing crisp Maine air. With vistas that leave even the most hardened park-goer speechless, the 27-mile Park Loop Road features Cadillac Mountain, the North Atlantic coast's highest promontory, and Thunder Hole, where views of waves smashing against the coast give visitors a powerful sense of how this wondrous park was shaped.

Park activities
The variety of geological features offers something for everyone. There are 115 miles of hiking trails looping through the park and 45 miles of carriage trails, which are perfect for walking, biking, or horseback riding. Fishing, boating, skiing, snowshoeing, and wildlife watching are also popular activities. One of the park's true gems is its educational ranger-led programs, which include boat cruises, mountain hikes, stargazing, bird and nature walks, short talks, and evening slide programs. See a map of Acadia National Park.

2. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Not even the most creative architects nor the most eccentric Hollywood animators could have imagined such a wildly unusual landscape as Bryce Canyon National Park. This is the magical world of looming "hoodoos," a labyrinth of colored stone of all shapes and sizes existing as towers, spires, and pinnacles.

In an attempt to preserve the landscape from the harm caused by streams of tourists' cars, Bryce Canyon has created a convenient shuttle system. The Bryce Canyon Shuttle makes visiting the park a pleasure, eliminating crowded parking lots and long lines. Visitors leave their cars at the Shuttle Staging Area, and take the Blue Line to the Visitor's Center, where they can learn more about the park before hopping aboard the Red Line, which takes them to many of the park's viewpoints and trailheads.

Bryce Canyon is rich in wildlife. The park's inhabitants often remain hidden, but a keen eye may observe prairie dogs, coyotes, and even the wily mountain lion. Bird watchers might be privy to a peregrine falcon sighting--the park features four official peregrine territories. Observing the park's flora is no less interesting; ancient Bristlecone pines, Ponderosa pines, and the Pinyon pine can all be found on park grounds.

Park activities
With 13 viewpoints at which to stop, the drive to Rainbow Point is a great way to absorb the beauty of Bryce Canyon's rock formations. A variety of hikes, including the Fairyland Loop and the Peekaboo Loop, let visitors mosey through the formations on foot. Canyon Trail Rides, a concessionaire in the park, offers two-hour and half-day horse and mule rides into the Bryce Canyon Amphitheater. Ranger-guided activities include Moonlight Hikes and a performing arts series (look for the "Old Time Fiddlers"). See a map of Bryce Canyon National Park.

3. Death Valley National Park, California
One of the harshest climates in the nation has helped create one of its most fascinating landscapes--a testament to the forces of nature and to the tenacity of the life that thrives in such an environment. In Death Valley National Park, where daily temperatures are some of the highest in the world, visitors encounter a rare natural beauty, one that both commands respect and encourages exploration.

Death Valley's topography is a real showstopper. The deep gullies and ravines of the Black Mountains are haunting, and the piercing colors of the park's  badlands--found along Artist's Drive and at Zabriskie Point--are truly startling. At 232 feet below sea level, the lowest land elevation in the western hemisphere is found at Badwater, and the 2-mile-long Salt Creek appears like a mirage in the desert. Paved roads take visitors to major scenic viewpoints like Dante's View and Wildrose.

Over 350 miles of unpaved and four-wheel-drive roads give access to hiking, vistas and historic sites. Scotty's Castle is a magnificent mansion in the midst of the desert, purportedly built by "Death Valley Scotty," a Gold Rush legend in his time. Various ghost towns exist in the vicinity, whispering of a past when the lure of gold roped in thousands of settlers.

Park activities
With more than 3 million acres inside its boundaries, Death Valley offers an overwhelming number of sites to see--all are incredible, but some stand out. In the Furnace Creek Area, visitors encounter the twisting Dante's View Road, which winds into the Black Mountains and offers views of both the lowest and highest points in the continental United States. Furnace Creek is also home to the wild pinnacles of Devil's Golf Course and the brilliantly colored expanse of foothills known as the Artist's Palette. In the Stovepipe Wells Village Area, hiking through Mosaic Canyon and the notorious Sand Dunes offers incredible vistas of the mountains and surrounding landforms. See a map of Death Valley National Park.

4. Everglades National Park, Florida
Although settlers once tried to drain the swampland of the Florida Everglades, today this national treasure is the only subtropical preserve in North America. The Everglades has been described as a massive but shallow 50-mile-wide "river of grass," with a current that moves little more than 100 feet per day. This freshwater circulation originates at Lake Okeechobee and flows toward the Gulf of Mexico.

The Everglades region hosts a tremendous range of plant and animal habitats. Temperate and tropical plant life can be found in mangrove and cypress swamps, sawgrass prairies, estuaries, and coastal marshes. These environs are also home to wading birds like the wood stork, great blue heron, and roseate spoonbill. In addition, the Everglades is a natural habitat for more than 14 endangered species, and visitors are often able to see rare sea turtles, Florida panthers, and West Indian manatees.

Exploring the Everglades can seem daunting, and a visitor's best bet is to check out one of the park's exceptional visitor centers. The Flamingo Visitor Center, at the southwest end of the park, offers boat tours and canoe rentals, and is the starting point for a number of wilderness and canoe trails. At the northwest end of the park, the Gulf Coast Visitor Center offers access to Ten Thousand Islands (a maze of mangrove islands and waterways that lead out to the Gulf of Mexico), as well as Chokoloskee Bay, Turner River, and the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway.

Park activities
Ranger-led activities include bird-watching trips, trail walks, slough slogs, bike hikes, canoe trips, and evening programs. Canoe, boat, and tram tours offer up-close glimpses of the marine and plant life that have created the Everglades. Particularly interesting is the tram tour from the Shark Valley Visitor Center, which delights tourists with outstanding alligator- and bird-viewing opportunities. Fishing is permitted in a limited number of water flats, channels, and mangrove keys. See a map of Everglades National Park.

5. Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Visitors to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve have the rare privilege of watching dramatic geological history being created before their very eyes. A mere 200 years ago, this area was capped by a 4,000-foot-thick glacier, which has since retreated at an unsurpassed speed, leaving in its wake a 65-mile-long wilderness of newborn fjords and shores surrounding what has become Glacier Bay. With each passing day, the park's landscape changes, often in ways invisible to onlookers. Yet the sudden, thundering crash as chunks of calving glaciers tumble into the ocean will demonstrate to visitors the awesome, earth-shaping forces of nature that are at work in this gem of a national park. Snowcapped mountains rising to 15,000 feet, deep fjords, hidden coves, glaciers, lakes, and beaches mark the pristine wilderness of Glacier Bay.

Visitors are introduced to a newly developing landscape as they travel from the inner sanctions of the bay toward its mouth. As the glacier's retreat exposed new shores, a variety of ecosystems emerged, including wet tundra (muskeg), coastal western hemlock/Sitka spruce forest, alpine tundra, early postglacial meadows and thickets, glaciers, and ice fields.

Casual visitors to the park are rare. A trip to Glacier Bay involves careful planning and either the physical endurance required to meet the challenges of the wintry landscape, or the money needed to partake in one of the many sanctioned wilderness tours of the region. But the trouble is more than worthwhile. Even in the company of other national parks, Glacier Bay is astonishing. The glaciers, whales, and mountain ranges encountered here promise an unequaled, and often unseen, exploration of Alaskan wilderness at its finest.

Park activities
Hikers will find themselves in a wonderland of wilderness adventures, following trails along rivers, estuaries, and even glacial riverbeds. A camper drop-off service can transport kayakers and campers to various points in the backcountry region of the bay area. Sport-fishing and game-hunting opportunities in the midst of the park's wilderness will dazzle enthusiasts. Numerous concessionaires offer opportunities to camp, raft, mountaineer, whale watch, fish, kayak, and hike. See a map of Glacier Bay National Park.